Commercially available frozen sheeted dough, including pizza dough, requires proofing prior to baking. “Proofing” is the time required for yeast in a dough to produce carbon dioxide gas so as to provide the desired volume and texture to the baked product. The proofing is typically done by the end user (e.g., the consumer or retailer) which requires about 2-4 hours. Thus the quantity of baked products needs to be anticipated in advance. Moreover, the proofing step requires additional space, equipment (such as retarders or proofers), and labor, either on the consumer end or in the manufacturing end in making the dough. All this generally inconveniences the end user.
In some other products, proofing (or part of it) can be carried out by a manufacturer of frozen dough products (pre-proofed dough), prior to freezing, so as to minimize or eliminate the need for proofing by the end user thereby reducing the preparation time for the baked product (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,847,104 and 4,966,778 to Benjamin et al). Typically, such products require a high amount of protein (such as 16%).
Use of chemical leavening agents in place of yeast obviates the need for proofing, but it does not provide the same texture, flavor, and structure associated with proofed dough products. For example, yeast-free chemically leavened products (such as biscuit or Irish soda bread) have a completely distinct texture as compared to a pizza. Proofed products are generally lighter, less dense, less chewy, more porous, more aerated than chemically leavened unproofed products.
Frozen doughs have been described that do not require a proofing step. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,417. However, these doughs require so much chemical leavening agent that the resulting dough is biscuit-like in taste and texture.